Want to own a fish tank and like to cherish the beautiful moment looking at your fishes thrive and enjoy the place then definitely you need to take care of so many things. As you like to keep your pets healthy and in a clean environment, so it is true when it comes to your aquarium. For a healthy and happy aquatic life in your house, you need to know how to take care for them.
Following these tips will help you maintain a clean and healthy aquarium with much ease and less trouble.
Assimilate the Fish
A very fragile animal – fish is lovely to keep them as pets. To have healthy and happy fish, talk to the store personnel to elaborate on what their water parameters for ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and pH levels are. On reaching home, check the water in your aquarium for its properties. The more the differences you find, it will take time for the new fish to adjust to the environment.
Float your Fish
Let the sealed bag of fish float into the water for about 15 minutes but not more than one hour to allow the temperature to relate. Open the seal of the bag and gradually put one quarter cup of the water from your aquarium into it. Repeat this procedure until the bag is full. This helps both the water to properly mix as well as standardizing both the temperatures and the chemistry properly, which allows fish to easily assimilate to the new surroundings without shock to the sudden changes. Now, carefully remove the bag and slowly add the water as much as you want without harming your aquatic fish. Properly lower the bag into the aquarium and allow your fish to swim into their new home.
Overcrowding
More fish into the tank does much harm than good. It leads to more low oxygen levels and high carbon-di-oxide into the tank. Added to this, more waste will be accumulated leading to pollution. The excess waste can clog the filter and lower the quality of your fish tank water. Too many fishes in a small space can also bring lethal outcomes. 1 big fish and 5 small fishes standard is acceptable for healthy and happy aquatic life. You can even talk to a specialist for appropriate number of fishes to accumulate in the size of your tank.
Care for the Water
As air is for humans so water is for fishes. It is always crucial to check the level of certain chemicals in the water, which is quite essential to sustain aquatic life. For its long term life ensure that you consistently keep a check on water in your aquarium. Condition the water regularly and for this use a de-chlorinating and biological aquarium supplement available at any pet store.
Maintaining pH Levels
pH is the measure of acidic or alkaline level in water. Measuring pH levels in your water tank and maintaining it is essential for a healthy aquarium. You can buy a pH level kit and can check the level. Fresh water fish thrive and remain healthy under pH level 6.6 to 7.8 depending on the species. This range will help your fish to resist illness by increasing natural antiseptic effect. Therefore, it is crucial to check the pH levels regularly to find any fluctuations.
Replenishing Fish Tank Water
It is essential to change 25% water in your aquarium at least once a month. This not only keeps your aquarium clean and healthy but also maintains nitrate levels at a safer level. Use a gravel vacuum to funnel out water and debris. Maintaining stable water parameters and keeping your water clean help your fish stay healthy and strong.
Maintaining Standard Water Temperature
Fishes dwell and thrive in constant temperature suitable for them. Any drastic change into the aquarium temperatures plays havoc on them. Do not place the aquarium under the direct sun or near refrigerator or air conditioner as this can make your fish sick and to the worst can even kill them. Tropical fresh water fish requires a constant temperature of 72 to 82 degree Fahrenheit depending on the species you have in your fish tank, in such cases you need to buy water heater for your tank.
Cleaning
Cleaning the tank is as important as maintaining the fresh water and normal temperatures. Normally, algae and other bacteria grow along the sides of the aquarium, which gives water a murky look. Moreover, it eats away the oxygen in the tank depriving fishes from it. This can cause serious health issues in your aquatic life. Thriving aquarium plants in the tank can also be at risk by the presence of algae. When left unchecked, this can deplete much of the oxygen playing havoc on fish life. It is crucial to clean the tank once a month for healthy aquatic life in spite of algae growth or not. Either you can call to fish tank cleaning services or can buy your own aquarium cleaning kit to scrape off the excess algae from the aquarium.
Taking proper care of your aquarium helps your fish stay healthy and thrive, and no doubt it is a great treat for your eyes to savor those little fishy tricks going on behind the glass.
